… because the fool can't remain silent.

The most basic of living books

2014 passed by my attention without me noticing this very fun, very engaging new book: Some Bugs. There is a very happy area between “stories” and “educational content” that has to be very artfully done in the picture book world, especially when the audience is Pre-K. It’s one of my favorite little niches to explore because I find it very challenging to do well. Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi nails it. It’s a very, very simple primer for the pre-school set that is just fun to sit and delight over with a child. Not only does it keep the text in very simple rhymes, it doesn’t make the mistake that many “edu-stories” make in overloading the child with text and information. This “early living book” technique is perfectly executed here, just like it is in my favorite beginner bird book by Kevin Henkes: Birds. The goal is simply to meet bugs, giggle at the pictures and be inspired to do some hunting in your own front yard. Education to light a fire, not fill a bucket. Mixed media illustrations by Brendan Wenzel are a positive delight, refreshingly original and quirky.

Simple pleasures like these kinds of books really remind to stop and take an important five minutes in my day to engage with my little ones in a beautiful way… it’s the little things in life.